5 Things You Should Know About Press Releases

With a rising number of internet marketing techniques to choose from, some companies oftentimes overlook the power of the press release. They sometimes forget how a timely and well-crafted press release can do wonders for their company. In fact, it may just create the buzz they have long been looking for.

Here are 5 things you should keep in mind about press releases:

1) Press releases basically provide meaty news about a particular service, person, event or product. It gives the company an affordable yet solid chance to send out valuable information about them and achieve media exposure in the process. Aside from that, these releases make your company become visible to hundreds, even thousands, of readers online.

2) Press releases are not, in any way, advertisements or sales pitches. Unlike ads, these articles are written in a strong third person approach and must present a newsworthy angle. Exaggerated comments and flattery are not welcomed. The key to writing a compelling press release is that you must think like a reporter. What’s your news angle?

3) A well-written press release follows a specific format

Headline

The headline either makes or breaks your chance of publicity. If your headline isn’t stunning enough, your readers won’t bother reading the rest of the article. A well-crafted news headline usually states the most exciting news in as few words as possible, or in 30-75 characters.

Subheading

This mirrors the message of your headline and further expounds it. It gives writers a chance to solidify your angle and further grab your readers’ attention, without stealing the headline’s drama. Some PR distribution sites do not ask for this anymore, while others do.

Body

The first paragraph is the most essential part of the PR body. This is where the 5Ws should be placed. It should be written in a way in which it can stand alone even without the headline and tagline. The next paragraphs must contain why the event is important to your readers. Statistics pull quotes and other details relevant to the news are added here.

About the author

This part gives the author an opportunity to tell something about the company and their self. This is where most writers plug a link that leads the readers back to the company’s site. This is also called the boilerplate – a paragraph used at the bottom of all your releases.

4) Press releases achieve better results when optimized. Include important keywords in your content but make sure they are strategically located and won’t seem awkward. Take a keyword phrase as an anchor text and lead the readers back to the key pages of your company’s site.

5) Press releases strengthen your credibility as a company. Through the news you send out, readers will learn how great your company is. You can post your news article on your own blog account or send them out through distribution channels such as PRweb and Newswire. Just make sure you proofread your work! A press release with grammatical errors can give your company a bad name.

Now that you’re armed with this information, go forth and gain your company’s publicity quickly with a press release!

About the Author:

Based in San Diego, California, Melissa Page is a professional writer and marketer who works with successful companies such as Fred Loya Insurance. When she is not writing, she plays bowling with her friends.

These posts are submitted by our Guest Bloggers. We accept guest posts on topics that are relevant to our blog like blogging, internet entrepreneurship tutorials, affiliate marketing, social media etc. You can read more about how to submit guest posts by visiting our write-for-us page.

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Comments

Thanks for the mention of PRWeb in your post! These are great tips. One thing I would add is that press releases should be considered a tool for content marketing – and augmented with other original content, such as blogs, social media posts, pictures and video. Including press releases as a segment of a larger marketing strategy is the best way to get the most value out of this evolving tool. Looking forward to reading more from you!